1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of sport articles including a strap for retaining or tightening a foot or a boot. The invention more particularly relates to a device for retaining a foot or a boot on a sports apparatus.
More particularly, the invention encompasses the field of snowboarding, as well as other gliding, rolling, and walking sports, including one or more straps for retaining or binding a foot or a boot onto a snowboard or a board of another such sport. The invention also relates to such retaining device or binding.
2. Description of Background and Other Information
Such articles are used for the practice of various sports, such as gliding, rolling, or walking sports, including snowboarding, skiing or water-skiing, snowshoeing, walking, or the like.
In the case of a device for retaining a boot on a snowboard, a strap conventionally includes a section that covers the boot. A reversible tightening mechanism allows for the selective tightening and loosening of the strap, that is, the covering section reversibly tightens the boot.
Conventionally, the covering section of such a strap includes a frame and a sheath. The frame provides the covering section with mechanical properties, especially with respect to the needed longitudinal tensile strength. Thus, even if the frame is transversely flexible, to assume the shape of the boot, i.e., particularly an upper surface of the boot, it remains substantially longitudinally inextensible. This allows for a substantially constant tightening of the strap. The sheath wraps around the frame to dampen the contact between the covering section of the strap and the boot. In other words, a surface of the sheath extends between the frame and the boot to provide comfort during tightening.
Conventionally, the sheath is formed by an assembly sewn with layers of textile material and synthetic material foam. Because of this, the sheath has the general appearance of a cushion wrapped around the frame. Thereby, the cushion provides tightening comfort.
Although the covering section provides a constant and comfortable tightening of the boot, it is somewhat bulky due to the number of layers of textile material and foam. This bulkiness hinders the manipulation of the strap by the user. Furthermore, the covering section can be relatively heavy, still due to the number of layers of textile material and foam. This additionally impedes the handling of the strap.
Furthermore, the stresses due to the tightening are typically centralized in the frame, which causes the dimensions of the frame to be adapted accordingly. This lends to increasing the weight of the covering section, and therefore, of the device.
Additionally, manufacturing the covering section tends to be a lengthy and relatively complicated operation. Indeed, several distinct pieces are initially required to be assembled in the manufacture of the cushion, which is then followed by the assembly of the covering section.